Renovating
Top 9 Renovating Don'ts When Working With a Contractor
Ease the renovation journey by taking note of what not to do
Getting a glimpse into the mind of a contractor can give you a new perspective into renovation projects around your home.
I’ve learned a lot working as a contractor, and some of those lessons can help homeowners too. What you do is just as important as what you don’t do, and sometimes a homeowner’s instinct can negatively affect a home renovation project.
How do you know if you’re helping or hurting your project? Read on to find out and to see what can help simplify your home renovation.
I’ve learned a lot working as a contractor, and some of those lessons can help homeowners too. What you do is just as important as what you don’t do, and sometimes a homeowner’s instinct can negatively affect a home renovation project.
How do you know if you’re helping or hurting your project? Read on to find out and to see what can help simplify your home renovation.
2. Don’t change your mind (too much)
Even though it’s inevitable that you’ll change your mind about something on your project, know this: Every time you change your mind, it’ll result in a change order. Although the change may seem minor, there are always added costs – even if it’s only the time spent discussing the change.
Scheduling can be affected too. Everyone working on the job needs to be informed of the change so no one’s working on the old plan. Everyone makes changes, and that’s OK – just be aware of the potential to disrupt and delay the job.
3. Don’t buy your own materials
It seems like an obvious way to save money – a contractor is going to mark up the cost of materials and pass that added cost on to you. That’s true, but the contrator may get a better price than you to begin with, meaning that even after markup, you’ll pay the same price.
Even though it’s inevitable that you’ll change your mind about something on your project, know this: Every time you change your mind, it’ll result in a change order. Although the change may seem minor, there are always added costs – even if it’s only the time spent discussing the change.
Scheduling can be affected too. Everyone working on the job needs to be informed of the change so no one’s working on the old plan. Everyone makes changes, and that’s OK – just be aware of the potential to disrupt and delay the job.
3. Don’t buy your own materials
It seems like an obvious way to save money – a contractor is going to mark up the cost of materials and pass that added cost on to you. That’s true, but the contrator may get a better price than you to begin with, meaning that even after markup, you’ll pay the same price.
4. Don’t put lipstick on a pig
Though a contractor will rarely come right out and say this, some houses should be knocked down rather than have money put into them to fix them up. Though this is a rare situation, it’s common for people to put money into fancy cabinets for a house with a sagging foundation. Listen to the professionals who come to look at your job. Be open to their suggestions.
5. Don’t work without a contingency fundIf you find out that the work you wanted to do costs more than you expected or budgeted, you’re in good company. It’s almost unheard of that a person sets a realistic budget for a project. But don’t eat into your contingency to stretch the budget. If you follow rule number one and make every decision ahead of time, you can probably get away with a 5 per cent contingency if you have a good general contractor.
Find ways to save when renovating
Though a contractor will rarely come right out and say this, some houses should be knocked down rather than have money put into them to fix them up. Though this is a rare situation, it’s common for people to put money into fancy cabinets for a house with a sagging foundation. Listen to the professionals who come to look at your job. Be open to their suggestions.
5. Don’t work without a contingency fundIf you find out that the work you wanted to do costs more than you expected or budgeted, you’re in good company. It’s almost unheard of that a person sets a realistic budget for a project. But don’t eat into your contingency to stretch the budget. If you follow rule number one and make every decision ahead of time, you can probably get away with a 5 per cent contingency if you have a good general contractor.
Find ways to save when renovating
6. Don’t let kids and pets get in the way
Though the people working in your home will often try to accommodate your pets and kids, they shouldn’t have to – it’s just not safe to have children or animals around construction.
7. Don’t live in the home
Most people ignore this rule, and for good reason. Renovating is expensive, and moving out just adds to the cost. If you can’t move out for the whole job, try to schedule some time away and set up a clean, comfortable place to retreat to when you can’t handle coming home to a messy and stressful construction site.
Though the people working in your home will often try to accommodate your pets and kids, they shouldn’t have to – it’s just not safe to have children or animals around construction.
7. Don’t live in the home
Most people ignore this rule, and for good reason. Renovating is expensive, and moving out just adds to the cost. If you can’t move out for the whole job, try to schedule some time away and set up a clean, comfortable place to retreat to when you can’t handle coming home to a messy and stressful construction site.
8. Don’t be a distraction
It may sound harsh, but every minute someone working on your house spends talking to you, they are not working on your house. Is the conversation important and one that will have an impact on the job? That’s one thing, but the electrician on the job isn’t getting paid any more to spend 30 minutes talking about your vacation plans.
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It may sound harsh, but every minute someone working on your house spends talking to you, they are not working on your house. Is the conversation important and one that will have an impact on the job? That’s one thing, but the electrician on the job isn’t getting paid any more to spend 30 minutes talking about your vacation plans.
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9. Don’t work without a design
Some projects require an architect, some an interior designer, and sometimes a talented contractor will get your aesthetic and help you come up with a good plan.
Whatever you do, don’t start a renovation without a detailed floor plan. A lot of elements interact in a space – put them all on paper and you’ll catch problems before they are built. You may be able to build a functional space without a plan, but if you want a functional and beautiful space, hire a designer.
Learn how to read a floor plan
TELL US
Do you have other ‘don’ts’ to add to this list? Share them in the Comments below.
MORE
How to Survive Your Renovation
Some projects require an architect, some an interior designer, and sometimes a talented contractor will get your aesthetic and help you come up with a good plan.
Whatever you do, don’t start a renovation without a detailed floor plan. A lot of elements interact in a space – put them all on paper and you’ll catch problems before they are built. You may be able to build a functional space without a plan, but if you want a functional and beautiful space, hire a designer.
Learn how to read a floor plan
TELL US
Do you have other ‘don’ts’ to add to this list? Share them in the Comments below.
MORE
How to Survive Your Renovation
If you want your renovation to go well, the best thing to do is make every single decision before work starts. A good contractor can talk you through the list of situations that might come up on your job, but decisions about situations aren’t usually what cause delays.
Instead, most of the issues are related to decisions about things like paint and sanitary ware selection. These may seem small, but when your tap is two weeks late, plumbers have to be rescheduled and the medicine cabinet door hits the sink when it’s installed, you’ll see how something small can balloon into a week’s delay on a five-week project.